Going Out, Staying In Tips

Published 11:27 am, Thursday, July 12, 2012

Want to get out and make a night of it? Or just stay home and chill out?

Whatever your plans, here are a few tips from The Chronicle's Datebook staff on what to do with your evening, from a great new movie to see to an easy and delicious meal to prepare before curling up with a book or DVD.

Truffaldino Says No Ken Slattery creatively piles old commedia dell'arte plots and characters atop each other and their modern equivalents as the title character rebels from his traditional role and leaves Venice for the sitcom world of Venice Beach in this light but richly comic, 2 1/2-hour Shotgun Players-PlayGround world premiere, expertly performed by the cast and inventively directed by M. Graham Smith. Through July 29. $18-$25. Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org. - Robert Hurwitt

Movies

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The Amazing Spider-Man

While you can argue that the last thing the world needs is another reboot of a comic-book movie franchise, the film gets off to a good start, with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the lead roles. Technology has improved in the past 10 years, and the script is OK. This is the second-best Spider-Man movie. Rated PG-13. 136 minutes. - M. LaSalle

Codeine:

Dinner

Tonight's TV pick

If you've been watching ABC's "Duets," it ends its first season tonight at 8 p.m. Not exactly a barn-burner of a series, but there you have it.

"Project Runway" kicks off its 10th season at 9 p.m. on Lifetime, and TBS launches a new sitcom called "Sullivan & Son" at 10 p.m. It's set in a working-class bar in Pittsburgh, and the cast includes comic Steve Byrne, Dan Lauria and Christine Ebersole.

Tonight's sports TV pick

Check out your U.S. men's Olympic basketball team when they play the Dominican Republic in Las Vegas at 6 p.m. in an exhibition game on ESPN.

DVDs/Blu-ray

Wanderlust: This comedy has Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as a New York couple who lose everything and wind up living in a utopian hippie commune. Occasionally the gags feel effortful or flat, but mostly they're funny, with a surprising percentage in the laugh-out-loud category. But there's something slightly mechanical about the film. Rated R. 98 minutes.

- M. LaSalle

Dinner

Lamb Chops With Roasted Eggplant, Pine Nut & Feta Salsa

Serves 4

Be sure to cool the roasted eggplant completely before finishing this salsa, so the cheese doesn't melt.

Shopping list:

Eggplant

1 1/2-2 pounds small lamb rib chops

Crumbled feta cheese

Pine nuts

Pantry items:

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lemon

The recipe:

3/4 pound globe eggplant, peeled and cut into small dice

3 tablespoons olive oil + more for the pan

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

8 to 12 small lamb rib chops (about 1 1/2-2 pounds total)

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the eggplant on a sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with your hands to coat well. Roast for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan once during cooking to turn the eggplant. Remove the pan from the oven, and let the eggplant cool completely. Preheat the broiler.

Grease a baking sheet or broiler pan with olive oil. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper and rub with remaining tablespoon oil. Arrange on the prepared pan.

Place the pan about 4 inches under the broiler; cook 6-7 minutes for medium rare, turning once halfway through.

Meanwhile, finish the salsa. Toss the eggplant with the toasted pine nuts and feta cheese. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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